Examining the predictors of prosocial behavior in young offenders and nonoffenders

2021 ◽  
pp. 016502542199593
Author(s):  
Paula Samper ◽  
Anna Llorca ◽  
Elisabeth Malonda ◽  
M. Vicenta Mestre

Research on young offenders has primarily focused on identifying predictors of the maladaptive, aggressive behavior; there is a scarcity of evidence on factors that relate to prosocial behavior in these adolescents. The current study examined the link from parenting, emotional instability, and prosocial reasoning to prosocial behavior, while also examining the mediating roles of empathic concern (EC) and perspective taking (PT) in a sample of Spanish adolescent offenders compared to a sample of nonoffenders. Participants were 440 adolescents: 220 young offenders residing in four Youth Detention Centres of Valencia (67.3% men) and 220 enrolled in public and private schools within the metropolitan area of Valencia (65.9% men). The two subsamples were similar in age (15−18 years), gender, and social class. Analyses show differences in mother’s permissiveness with empathy (PT and EC), in emotional instability and internalized reasoning with PT in predicting prosocial behavior in offenders and nonoffenders adolescents. EC and PT are significative and positively related to prosocial behavior in both groups. These findings have implications for prevention and reeducation interventions oriented to social reinsertion of adolescent offenders and the development of family and social counseling programs that favor adaptive behavior.

2021 ◽  
pp. 109019812110192
Author(s):  
Francisco Perez-Dominguez ◽  
Francisca Polanco-Ilabaca ◽  
Fernanda Pinto-Toledo ◽  
Daniel Michaeli ◽  
Jadi Achiardi ◽  
...  

The global pandemic caused by coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) disrupted both public and private life for many. Concerning medical students, practical teaching and classrooms were substituted with a virtual curriculum. However, how this new academic environment has affected students’ health and lifestyles has yet to be studied. In this study, we surveyed 2,776 students from nine different countries about changes in their university curricula and potential alterations in their daily habits, physical health, and psychological status. We found negative changes across all countries studied, in multiple categories. We found that 99% of respondents indicated changes in their instruction delivery system, with 90% stating a transition to online education, and 93% stating a reduction or suspension of their practical activities. On average, students spent 8.7 hours a day in front of a screen, with significant differences among countries. Students reported worsened studying, sleeping, and eating habits with substantial differences in Latin American countries. Finally, the participants frequently expressed onset and increase in both mental and physical health symptoms: backache, asthenopia, irritability, and emotional instability. Altogether, these results suggest a potential risk in the health and academic performance of future doctors if these new academic modalities are maintained.


Author(s):  
Daniela Chávez ◽  
Diego Palacios ◽  
Bernadette Paula Luengo‐Kanacri ◽  
Christian Berger ◽  
Gloria Jiménez‐Moya

2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762199520
Author(s):  
Gregory John Depow ◽  
Zoë Francis ◽  
Michael Inzlicht

We used experience sampling to examine perceptions of empathy in the everyday lives of a group of 246 U.S. adults who were quota sampled to represent the population on key demographics. Participants reported an average of about nine opportunities to empathize per day; these experiences were positively associated with prosocial behavior, a relationship not found with trait measures. Although much of the literature focuses on the distress of strangers, in everyday life, people mostly empathize with very close others, and they empathize with positive emotions 3 times as frequently as with negative emotions. Although trait empathy was negatively associated only with well-being, empathy in daily life was generally associated with increased well-being. Theoretically distinct components of empathy—emotion sharing, perspective taking, and compassion—typically co-occur in everyday empathy experiences. Finally, empathy in everyday life was higher for women and the religious but not significantly lower for conservatives and the wealthy.


2021 ◽  
pp. 136843022098207
Author(s):  
Niels J. Van Doesum ◽  
Paul A. M. Van Lange ◽  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Ana Leal ◽  
Eric Van Dijk

People are quick to form impressions of others’ social class, and likely adjust their behavior accordingly. If social class is linked to prosociality, as literature suggests, then an interaction partner’s class should affect prosocial behavior, especially when costs or investments are low. We test this expectation using social mindfulness (SoMi) and dictator games (DG) as complementary measures of prosociality. We manipulate target class by providing information regarding a target’s (a) position on a social class ladder, and (b) family background. Three studies using laboratory and online approaches ( Noverall = 557) in two nations (the Netherlands [NL], the UK), featuring actual and hypothetical exchanges, reveal that lower class targets are met with greater prosociality than higher class targets, even when based on information about the targets’ parents (Study 3). The effect of target class was partially mediated by compassion (Studies 2 and 3) and perceived deservingness of the target (Study 3). Implications and limitations are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kornddrfer ◽  
Boris Egloff ◽  
Stefan C. Schmukle

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Fatin Afifah Mohd Sukeri ◽  
Mastura Mahfar ◽  
Mohammad Saipol Mohd Sukor

Prosocial behavior is any form of act or activity that is intended to help or give another person the benefit without expecting any reward. One of the factors that can contribute to prosocial behavior is empathy. This study was conducted to identify the relationship between empathy and university students’ prosocial behaviors at one of the schools of engineering. A total of 94 fourth-year engineering students were selected by employing a simple random sampling method in this study. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and the Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) questionnaires were used to measure empathy and prosocial behavior. The study used descriptive statistical analysis through scores, mean and frequency to measure the level of empathy and prosocial behavior, while inferential statistics used t-test to measure differences in prosocial behavior by gender, and Pearson's correlation to identify the relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior. The findings of the study show that the levels of empathy and prosocial behavior of the respondents are moderate. There was no significant difference of prosocial behavior based on gender. Correlation analysis revealed that there was a relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior. All the dimensions of empathy which are “fantasy”, “perspective-taking”, “empathic concern” and “personal distress” have significant positive relationships with prosocial behavior.


Complexity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Hao Ding ◽  
Feng Xu ◽  
Jia-Ming Zhu

In the present research, based on the game research paradigm, the research tools are the dictator game and the trust game, and the research objects are Chinese university students. We adopt 2(self-social class: high, low) × 2(target social class: high, low) between-subjects design experiment to investigate the influence of social class on university students’ prosocial behavior. Across the experimental study, we find that (1) in the two situations of dictator game and trust game, self-social class has no significant influence on university students’ prosocial behavior; (2) in the situation of dictator game, target social class has a significant influence on university students’ prosocial behavior, and it is regulated by self-social class. Under the condition of low self-social class, the higher the target social class, the more prosocial behavior of university students, which confirms the perspective of status and negates “if you are poor, you will be good for yourself.” Under the condition of high self-social class, the lower the target social class, the more prosocial the behavior of university students, which confirms the perspective of fairness and echoes “if you are good, you will be good at the world”; (3) in the context of the trust game, target social class has a significant influence on university students’ prosocial behavior, and there is no interaction effect with self-social class.


Author(s):  
Lena C. Carl ◽  
Martin Schmucker ◽  
Friedrich Lösel

Premature treatment termination in offender treatment is linked to negative consequences for clients, practitioners, and the criminal justice system. Therefore, identifying predictors of treatment attrition is a crucial issue in offender rehabilitation. Most studies on this topic focus on adult offenders; less is known about adolescent offenders. In our study, therapy attrition and engagement were predicted via logistic and linear regression to examine the link between pretreatment variables, engagement, and treatment failure in 161 young offenders treated in a social-therapeutic unit in Germany. Engagement could be predicted by motivation, disruptive childhood behavior, low aggressiveness, and higher age. In turn, low motivation, substance abuse, and young age predicted attrition, but their impact diminished when engagement was added to the model with only substance abuse remaining significant. The effect of substance abuse on attrition disappeared, when the offender’s initial motivation was high. Implications for assessment and treatment planning are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Muñoz-Silva ◽  
Cecilia De la Corte de la Corte ◽  
Bárbara Lorence-Lara ◽  
Manuel Sanchez-Garcia

The acceptance or rejection of classmates is one of the most widely recognized determinants of wellbeing in childhood. This study analyses psychosocial adjustment and sociometric status in primary education pupils, and possible differences by gender. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in Huelva (Spain). The surveyed schools were selected using a stratified random sampling technique with both public and private elementary schools. Sample was composed of 247 4th grade students. Data revealed gender differences in psychosocial adjustment, particularly in terms of prosocial behavior in girls and behavioral problems in boys. Popular and rejected statuses presented opposing adjustment profiles, particularly in hyperactive symptoms and behavioral problems. When the sample was separated by gender, the differences between the types of status in emotional symptomatology and prosocial behavior disappeared. In addition, the differences between statuses were greater in boys, and were defined mainly by hyperactivity, whilst for girls these differences were more apparent in behavioral problems.


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